The round was led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from existing management and shareholders. Synchtank’s latest investment round follows a total of $750,000 seed funding from management, shareholders, and Juno Capital Partners in 2020, bringing the total raised in the past year to $6.6 million.
Source: Synchtank raises $5.8m in Series A funding round led by Octopus Ventures
For years, crypto believers have been trying to put music “on the blockchain.” And while startups and investors say there’s potential, many artists – at least so far – remain unconvinced. Some services have taken a shot, but most are geared toward artists already immersed in blockchain tech. What about musicians who are put off by crypto, who just want to get paid for their work? Enter Nina, a new digital marketplace for music in the vein of Bandcamp and Discogs.
Source: Music Marketplace Nina Wants to Be a Bandcamp for Web 3.0
The platform enables fine art enthusiasts to own “some of the world’s greatest masterpieces” by collectively participating in the art market via the ‘Particalise’ process, which involves splitting art into 10,000 unique NFTs, or ‘Particles’. The ‘Particalise’ process means that each piece has its title deeds stored on the Blockchain, with buyers receiving a digital certificate, or collector’s card, to represent their ownership of the painting.
Source: NFT marketplace Particle makes bid to revolutionize ownership of fine art
Aimi says that its platform offers listeners “endless, bespoke experiences” created by DJs and producers “in collaboration” with the platform’s artificial intelligence. Following a limited free period this fall, the premium service of Aimi+ will shift to a paid model, using blockchain technology and smart contracts to administer royalties and revenue to artists using the platform.
Source: AI-powered music platform Aimi raises $20m in Series B funding round
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are taking the music industry by storm. Several marketplaces have sprung up offering pieces of artwork, golden tickets, and more – all sold as an NFT. But one man questions the idea of NFTs and if buying a digital piece of a blockchain really proves ownership when anyone can ‘right click’ and save a picture.
Source: Are NFTs a Scam? Hacker Uploads Every NFT to ‘NFT Bay’
The e-book format has opened up the opportunity to reach more readers, creating inclusivity for those who have been previously challenged in engaging with physical books. E-books have many devoted users and their relative cost-effectiveness to produce and distribute is an important component of every publisher’s growth strategy for the foreseeable future.
Source: Accessibility and Digital EPUBs
The uptake of blockchain technology in the media has been slow, with less than 10 per cent of publishers making it part of their strategy. However, a recent report by INMA shows how blockchain could help publishers and how they could begin experimenting with the “potentially industry-changing technology.”
Source: Tip: Why publishers should take blockchain seriously
The suit appears to turn on the question of whether selling NFTs based on excerpts of a screenplay qualify as a “publication” of the screenplay. According to the suit, Tarantino’s lawyer has told Miramax that Tarantino retained the right to publish his screenplay in the Miramax contract, and that he is exercising that right through the NFT sale.
Source: Quentin Tarantino’s Attorney Responds to ‘Pulp Fiction’ NFT Lawsuit: ‘Miramax Is Wrong’
Essentially author-approved fan fiction for the Web 3 age, “Realms of Ruin” seemed exciting and ambitious – some even described it as inevitable – until a teaser for the project launched on Twitter and Instagram on Oct. 20. Instead of eager fans, the authors were met with suspicion that quickly turned to collective anger.
Source: How Misinformation on ‘Book Twitter’ Killed a Literary NFT Project
Last December, academic publishers Elsevier, Wiley, and American Chemical Society filed a lawsuit demanding that Indian ISPs block access to Sci-Hub and Libgen for copyright infringement. The ongoing case now includes an intervention application from a group of social science researchers who say that blocking the platforms would result in a great societal loss to the country.
Source: Sci-Hub: Researchers File Intervention Application To Fight ISP Blocking * TorrentFreak